College Point rezoning

Previous College Point zoning

Prior to 2005, more than 85% of College Point was zoned for multi-family apartment units (R3-2, R4, R5B in blue), which resulted in a rash of teardowns replacing one and two-family detached houses with small apartment complexes. This began to have a profound negative effect on College Point, an geographically isolated community with a mid-19th century street grid and infrastructure. The remaining small areas were zoned R3A and R3X (orange) which allow one and two-family detached houses; and R4-1, which allows one and two-family semi-attached houses. There is only one small area east of the White Point shopping center that has single family zoning (R2 in beige).

Current College Point zoning based on Paul's plans

The College Point rezoning was critical to the survival of this very unique neighborhood. It also partially fulfilled a promise made since the late 1960s during the Lindsay administration to "preserve" the areas away from the waterfront from overdevelopment. After the adoption of the College Point Rezoning that I co-authored in 2005, almost all of the multi-family zoning areas (R3-2, R4, R5B) have been rezoned contextually: 85% of College Point is now zoned detached one family (R2A in yellow) or detached one and two-family (R3A, R4A). 30 blocks of R2A zoning have been added, which have protected key sections of College Point that have historically been mostly one-family detached housing. More than 25 blocks were also changed from R4 to R4-1 (purple), to protect the one and two-family semi-detached houses located there. The College Point Corporate Park was also rezoned several years later and made a Special District that better protects the residential neighborhoods that are adjacent to it.